Wendy Smith, Counselor in Seattle, 98119

Wendy E. Smith, MA, LMHCA

Profession(s):
Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy, Psychotherapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
LMHCA - MC60124002

My Approach to Helping

I have discovered that I work somewhat differently with different people; this is probably because each person is different and has different problems, strengths, needs and goals, and because, in each case, a unique relationship develops between me and the client. In all cases, I place the utmost importance on deeply understanding your experience and on meeting you with empathy and respect.

I primarily use Existential and Emotionally-Focused techniques. I am also trained in Lifespan Integration Therapy (c) which I have found very useful for treating trauma without risk of re-traumatization. My style is compassionate, direct and genuine.

With individuals, I often work in the here-and-now. Additionally, I pay attention to your history in order to understand (together with you) how your past experiences might be affecting your capacity to live well in the present and imagine a future.

When working with couples, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy to help partners deeply reconnect on the level of needs and feelings (as opposed to having that same unproductive argument over and over again). I also use very practical research-derived techniques to help partners develop strategies for successful communication and for joint living and dreaming, while, at the same time, maintaining their identities as whole and separate human beings.

More Info About My Practice

Office location: My practice is located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle near the Seattle Center. The building says "Comcast Spotlight" on it and is fully accessible.

Office Hours:
My current office hours are: Mondays from 2:30 to 9:00 PM, Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 2 PM, and Wednesdays from 2:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Fees:
My fee for individuals is $80 for a 50 minute session. My fee for couples is $100 for an 80 minute session.

I am committed to serving people at all income levels. If your income requires you to negotiate a lower fee in order to gain access to my services, please don't hesitate to ask.

I am a provider for Washington State's Crime Victims Compensation Program.

Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With

Disability and/or Illness: My personal experiences in this area have greatly informed my professional work. I have been visually impaired since I was a baby, but did not begin fully to appreciate the myriad meanings of that experience until my late 20s. Within the last decade, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, so I also know what it can be like to acquire, live with, and successfully manage, a chronic illness. Coming to terms with a disability can bring up a lot of powerful emotions, not to mention confusion, overwhelm, or numbness. Indeed, the quest to make sense of your disability can prompt a reevaluation of your identity and priorities, and, sometimes, even of the meaning of your life. Finding a counselor who understands and is comfortable travelling this terrain with you can be of enormous help. Because of my personal and professional experience, I have a good idea what it can be like to come to terms with changes in one's body and functionality, as well as with one's own mortality. I am convinced that going through the hard work of adjusting emotionally can ultimately lead to a richer, more authentic, happier life. Additionally, I am experienced in counseling clients with disabilities on coping effectively with societal (and internalized) oppression.

How Psychotherapy Can Help

Here are a few of my thoughts: First, people are helped simply by having a trusting relationship with someone who takes the time really to see, hear, sense, and understand them. Sometimes having such a relationship is the main factor in facilitating a client's transformation. Second, clients need to be helped to do whatever the thing is that they don't do well at home. For example, if they over-analyze everything, they need to be helped to tune back into their hearts and guts. Once a trusting relationship is well-established, clients can benefit most from therapeutic strategies beyond merely talking and listening--strategies that help them to have new emotional experiences right in the session. It's probably unfair and unrealistic to ask a client to take a risk at home or at work if he/she can't first try something similar in the safety of the therapist's office.

Services I Provide

Individual Therapy & Counseling
Marriage, Couples, or Relationship Counseling
Group Therapy
Online Counseling / Phone Therapy

Ages I Work With

Adults
Elders

Languages I Speak

English
French

Groups I Work With

People with physical or sensory disabilities; People with chronic, life-threatening, or terminal illnesses; Family members of people with disabilities and/or illnesses; crime victims; BUT NOT ONLY THESE BY ANY MEANS!